Dave Greenfield died

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[Aloysius]

bit sexist?

hows about some womeninblack?

[BONES]

Still, 25 years later they were still playing this, they weren't playing anything off that album -

The Stranglers kind of took a wrong turn when Hugh left.

They'd lost the plot several albums before that.

But him and JJ just couldn't hold it together any longer. Two big dogs. This is my layman's understanding. I might be wrong.

It is actually Jet Black's band and always has been. Apparently they all defer to him with any band-related issues and JJ sided with him over Hugh. They had apparently agreed many years earlier that once they felt they no longer had anything of value to say, they would break up. Unfortunately, Hugh reached that point before the rest of 'em.

When Hugh left, they floundered, they made some bad decisions with who to leave in to the band, but they finally struck Gold when they got Baz to play guitar and sing for them. He's perfect.

I dunno, I saw them with Paul Roberts singing. He was an excellent front man and he co-wrote a lot of the songs on Norfolk Coast, which was a real return to form for The Stranglers.

For me, the Stranglers don't exist without Hugh. He's too integral. But I respect Baz a whole lot. He's a great singer, a great guitarist, a great showman, a great replacement. Kudos.

I am a little more pragmatic - Hugh is not a great guitarist and put little or no effort into his guitar sound. If Dave hadn't been there to cover it up, it would have exposed a real weakness in the band, I think. Hugh was also in the band through the worst of their decline so he is as responsible for that as anyone. I can't see them making two brilliant albums like Norfolk Coast and Suite XVI if he'd still been in the band. (I could definitely see him being involved with Giants - it's not a very good Stranglers album.) He was definitely, for me, the most replaceable of the original members.

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[BONES]

So they are still going to tour without Dave. I'd assumed that would be the end of it for them. One last tour in Dave's honour sounds good, though, especially with a new album to go with it!

Thanks for the link, that was great. It's just over a year since my best mate died so it had me in tears, too. I know exactly how they feel.

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